@Cecil:
I used to run marathons, and have always loved to eat - running marathons allowed me keep my weight at a reasonable level. I fluctuated at around 185-190. I tore my meniscus playing hockey and had to stop running, then had the surgery. My exercise went from running and hockey to riding a stationary bike. I kept eating just like in the glory days and eventually got up to 225 in about 12-15 months. Locke can testify to my love of the dumpling. Eventually, I think I just became embarassed of how I looked next to my wife.
I started working out a bit more intensively, but that didn't make a huge difference - I suppose it's hard to match the calorie burn of running 20k regularly. This past February, while I was in Tucson, I did 2 things - I started counting calories (not setting a limit, just recording) and I turned up the intensity of my workouts (i.e. setting the bike resistance to 25 instead of 10), and went to 2/day. I am down to 185 now. Counting calories has made me a whole lot more conscious of how much I was eating, with the result that I have definitely cut down my portions a bit. 2 workouts per day means I am burning 1500-2000 calories exercising. None of this has felt "hard" - I am still eating anything I want, and I don't find the exercise difficult - I just watch TV and crank the pedals. I think the key to sustaining has been that I am not making myself do anything that I don't want to do. I can see myself doing this indefinitely...